This Summer, I participated in a French Language Immersion program in Nantes, France. Once a port and industrial center, the northwestern, medieval city is now a site for the arts, museums, and French cuisine. Nantes is segmented by the Loire River between its restaurants, residential areas, and small businesses and is just an hour’s drive from the Atlantic Ocean. It offers a mix of city life and a green, family-friendly environment. Moreover, it is only a two-hour ride from Paris on the TGV train. While geography played a key role in my selection of a host city, its international anonymity, compared to bigger French cities like Lyon, Bordeaux, and Marseille, meant fewer tourists and more practicing French—my primary goal of going to France.
I had learned French at a young age in school but forgot my vocabulary over time due to a lack of practice. However, the teachers at the Institut Francophonie in Nantes encouraged students to speak up, make mistakes, learn, and try again. Other Americans were in the program, but we were all restrained from speaking English unless necessary. It also helped that our teachers knew English: If you had no idea how to say something in French, you would ask in English, they would explain, and then you went back to speaking French.
The learning was further complemented by in-class individual presentations, discussions, and afternoon site visits to some of the city’s best attractions. I personally enjoyed the visit to Les Machines de l’Île— a remotely-controlled mechanical dragon walks around, spewing fire at every head turn as visitors look on in amazement and an elephant on the other side sprays water through its trunk at giggling kids while their parents record the memories on their cellphones. This site perfectly embodies the city’s identity transformation from a port and industrial center to an artistic center.
By the end of the program, I felt a sense of accomplishment, having moved from B1 (intermediate) classes to passing the C1 (advanced) level in-class exam. I plan on continuing to read my book and notes so I can do the official DELF exam here in New York in December. French is one of the leading international business languages, and professional fluency can provide many opportunities.
I am grateful to Fordham University and the IPED program for providing me with funding and guidance to have this incredible experience. Lastly, I encourage first-year students who can take advantage of this opportunity.
